Forgotten
by Chel Bel
Summary: One stranger, one necklace and one frightful story. All of these things seem to come together suddenly, altering the ways of Malon's life, and before she knows it, she's been tossed into some sort of game where her only option is to win AU. MxL CH.4 UP!
1. Chapter 1

_Forgotten_

**Chapter One**

She would have never expected a stranger to come by today, especially on this day of all days.

It was raining outside, which was very unusual. There had hardly been rain around here, but whenever there was, people mostly stayed within the warm confines of their homes or the rooms of the inn they had rented out for the night.

When this stranger appeared at the door of the inn, she had been sleeping. She didn't exactly like to call it sleeping, as that made her sound like a lazy worker; she called it resting. She had simply closed her eyes and lost herself for a moment, just a moment, when she heard the doors to the inn open as the stranger stepped inside.

She had never seen him around town, and the way he looked indicated that he was a traveler. His lengthy brown hair had been matted to his head from the rain and it was dripping. He was tall and slightly muscular, tanned by the sun, she supposed, and he carried a bag filled with things she couldn't even begin to imagine. As he got closer, her suspicions of him being a traveler were confirmed as his stench became more noticeable; he clearly hadn't been able to bathe recently. He looked at her with beady little brown eyes, and after staring back at him for a few moments, she quickly regained her voice.

"M-may I help you?" He was silent at first, still staring at her, and she grew slightly uncomfortable, tensing up a little bit. She was about to repeat her question again when he answered her.

"I'd like a room for the night." His voice was very deep and rigid. She turned away from him for a minute. Once she found the key she was looking for, she handed it to him and said in a surprisingly sheepish voice, "That'll be fifteen rupees. Here's your key and enjoy your stay." Everything went as usual. He fished the rupees out of his bag, handed them to her, and took the key from her hastily, turning to go find his room. He then stopped in his tracks as if he had thought of something he was missing, and then he turned back around to face her.

"That necklace you're wearing, where did you get it?"

She was so startled by this question that she didn't quite think she heard him. "W-what was that?" she asked timidly, feeling embarrassed.

"I said, where did you get that necklace?"

"Oh, this um, it was just a birthday present from a few years ago." She then automatically put her hand around the gem of the necklace as she almost always did when people inquired about it. The gem itself was in a unique shape that resembled a moon and a star that had been formed into one. It had its own distinctive color which was a cloudy mix of blues, greens, and a tinge of white here and there. A golden chain held it around her neck. The necklace was clearly very valuable, and one could only imagine how much it was worth.

"If you don't mind me asking," he began in an overly-interested tone, "from whom did you receive this necklace?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I got it from my father. Why do you want to know?" Why did he want to know? Most people didn't care much about where it was from. The only thing they usually said was that it was "gorgeous" and that she was "very lucky to have it."

He ignored her question. "Where did he get it? Do you remember?" She shook her head, shrugging. She remembered back to when her father had given it to her. It had been for her fifteenth birthday. He had woken her up very early that day, not even saying happy birthday to her and she had at first felt extremely dejected, thinking that he had forgotten. Once she had finished dressing he had directed her towards the kitchen and told her to begin cooking. As soon as she opened the kitchen doors she knew why he wanted her there. The whole kitchen was decorated in the theme of horses (yes, she knew she was a bit old for this but she had always loved them) and sitting on the stove was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen, this necklace. She had not taken it off once since then. She smiled at the thought.

"He said he just found it, I'm not really sure. Probably he just paid someone to make it."

"You don't say…" He seemed to say it more to himself. His eyes then began to focus in more on the necklace and he suddenly reached his hand out, tracing the outline of the necklace with a finger. Malon was startled at this action, and she stepped back into the wall and quickly placed a protective hand on the necklace. She stared at him with great surprise as well as something almost resembling anger.

What was going on through the mind of this man, she didn't know, but she automatically assumed he had gone mad once he touched her. No one had ever had the nerve to do such a thing, and she would not ever allow him to lay a finger anywhere near her body again.

"What's _wrong_ with you? Don't you _ever_ touch me again!" She shrieked. He simply answered this and the glare she was giving him with a kind-hearted smile.

"Your necklace is indeed beautiful," he paused, "but not even as close to as beautiful as you look wearing it." She lifted both eyebrows, one again dazzled at this peculiar stranger's words, and before she could ask him what his problem, he turned on his heels and walked away.

---

Hope you liked it. Next chapter will come out whenever I feel like writing it, but with all the schoolwork I've been getting and how busy I've been lately I wouldn't count on it (yes, that is always my excuse). And I'd especially like to give a special thanks to **Sapphira603** for beat reading this for me


	2. Chapter 2

_Forgotten_

**Chapter Two**

"I know it's been a couple of years since you bought it, but do you happen to remember where you got this necklace, Dad?" Malon asked her father the next day. The events of yesterday popped back into her head as she gingerly fingered the necklace.

She and her father sat at the table in the back of their kitchen, eating breakfast together as they always did. Their conversations on normal days usually consisted of simple "Hello," and "How are you," and occasionally he would compliment the food she had made. Today, however, she decided that it would be nice to actually try to converse with her dad.

He didn't answer her right away—she wasn't expecting him to—but he merely continued to eat. She put her fork down and rested her head in the palm of her hand as she waited. The two of them weren't really as close as they use to be. When she was younger, they would spend almost all their time together. Over the years, however, as she grew older, their relationship became more awkward until it finally evolved into this embarrassed silence. Sometimes, she was fine with it (she had grown to enjoy the quiet), but other times she felt lonely.

She sighed and turned her gaze over to the window. It was lovely outside today, even though it had rained the day before. Everything had dried up surprisingly quickly. Perhaps later she'd go out to do something, if her father was feeling generous enough to let her have the day off. She then heard him clear his throat, and she focused her eyes back on him, realizing that he was possibly going to answer her.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked skeptically. "You've never wanted to know before." She shrugged, not wanting to tell him about the stranger. She gave him an indifferent look to try to fool him into thinking that she really didn't care; she wanted him to think she was simply trying to start a conversation with him.

"I don't know, I guess," she answered, glancing down at the necklace. "I was just wondering, especially since it's so nice, you know." He smiled a bit at this, causing her to smile as well. He rarely smiled these days, but it helped to decrease the tension in the room.

He seemed to be thinking of some way to answer her, which raised Malon's suspicions. Perhaps, she thought with a fake grin plastered on her face, her father had gone on a long and difficult journey, and he had to fight off many monsters and find his way through countless mazes to get this necklace for her. Or maybe he was a thief who had stolen it from someone. Could the necklace she was wearing really belong to someone else? She chuckled at the thought of her father even attempting to steal from someone, and he gave her an odd look. She turned her attention from her speculations back to her father.

He began to eat again, and with his mouth full, he said, "It was actually given to me for free by some lady that came in the inn a couple days before your birthday. That was what, three years ago?" He seemed to be asking himself more than Malon.

This story puzzled Malon. He had gotten it for free? How peculiar. She asked, "So she just came in here, gave you the necklace, and left?"

Talon let out a big laugh. "Of course not! It was pretty late, and I was getting ready to call it a night when she arrived at the door. She had asked for a room but I had to refuse her, since she had no money. But when I turned her down, she took out that necklace," and he pointed at it, "from her pocket. I thought it had to be a joke when she said she'd give it to me for a free room, but she wasn't lying. So I gave her a room, and she gave me the necklace. It's as simple as that," he finished. Malon stuffed some more pancakes in her mouth.

"That's really odd," she commented as she chewed, "I mean, she just gave it to you for a free room. I'd think it'd cost more than that." Talon chuckled at his daughter once again.

"Well, hey, at least you have it. Be grateful for that." That caused the corners of her mouth to go up a bit. They continued eating in silence. Malon began to take the dishes to the sink once they had finished the meal, but Talon stopped her; he let her know that he would do it himself.

"Thanks, Dad. Oh, and one other thing." She paused, glancing out the window at the clear and sunny sky. "Do you suppose I could have the day off?"

He got up as he took the plates to the sink. "Just be back by noon." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before he continued to clean up from breakfast.

O.o.o.o.O

The day was passing slowly, which Malon was grateful for. It was still early in the morning, and it had been about an hour since she and her father had eaten.

At the moment, she was sitting in front of a tree on top of the hill; she liked to think that the tree and the hill were her own. She sat in the shade of the tree, not wanting to be blinded by the light. The hill overlooked the small town. She found it amusing to watch all the activity going on. She often liked to watch the people to see what they did and the places they went; she liked to see what was going on in their lives. But she mostly just liked to sit up on the hill and think.

As she rubbed her hand in the soft grass, she remembered when she was young and she would roll down-hill in the grass, having fun and acting just like the little girl she was. She especially liked coming here in the springtime, when there were flowers of every kind all around, and gentle breezes would blow by, ruffling her long hair. She smiled at the thought as she absentmindedly picked the flowers around her, tying them together easily, just as she had when she was little. After placing the chain on her head, she snorted, imagining how silly she must look. She laughed aloud at herself; she was a grown woman playing like a little girl.

"So is this what you do in your free time?" Malon froze. She hadn't had a clue that there was someone up there with her. She took off her flower crown immediately and turned around, embarrassed that she had been caught. She was almost afraid to see who it was.

"It's you," she said. She recognized this man; it was the same stranger that had come to the inn yesterday.

"Yes, it's me." He came closer, and she noticed he looked cleaner than he had the day before. He had obviously taken a bath and combed his hair. He looked a lot friendlier than he had the previous day; he looked as if he could have been one of the townspeople. Still, she kept her distance. He advanced closer to her and she immediately stood up, worried that he might attempt to sit next to her.

Malon looked at him strangely. She really wasn't used to having complete strangers stalk her. "Why did you follow me up here?" she asked warily. He sat down, twirling grass around his fingers to amuse himself.

"I was worried about you."

"Worried about me?"

"Mhm."

"How so?" she asked, slightly puzzled at this.

"Well, I didn't want you to get hurt," he replied. She snorted.

"I wouldn't have." This remark caused him to smirk.

"Well… I don't know. I mean I saw a young girl go off into the woods alone, and I was curious. I didn't know that you'd wander of to this hill place." He motioned with his hand. "You know you could have gotten yourself in danger. The woods aren't exactly the safest place in the world for a girl."

She smiled, crossing her arms across her chest. "I've been through those woods countless times—from the time I was young until now. Nothing has ever happened to me. Believe me; this had to be one of the safest and most peaceful places to live in all of Hyrule." She was beginning to say more when she noticed that a serious mien on his face. She stopped. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

He sighed, speaking to her in an almost inaudible voice. "Don't you fools know that things happen in the outside world, beyond this small town of yours? Everyone's life is in danger. Every day, someone is killed. It's terrible, simply terrible. It would be wise of you not to travel through those woods anymore. Someday, this small town of yours could turn from the, as you say, most peaceful place in Hyrule, to merely debris and rubble."

Malon furrowed her brow. She didn't know how to respond, or even if she should. Was he trying to tell her that Hyrule was under attack? She had never heard anything about a war. Besides, even if it was true, surely her town would know by now. He spoke as if Hyrule had been in danger for a long time, but that couldn't be true. She just couldn't believe him. She sighed.

"You don't believe me, do you?" he asked knowingly.

She looked over at him, and caught his eyes. "Well I…"

"I know you don't believe me. I can see it in your eyes." She frowned, disappointed that he could read her so well. He laughed at her expression. "Look, how about we go out to dinner later tonight, and I can tell you more about what I'm saying. Is that all right?"

She shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Great." He stood up to leave, but then he stopped. "By the way, I'm Seth."

"I'm Malon," she said, beginning to leave as well.

"Nice name," he said with a grin.

She smiled back at him as she went down the hill. "Yes, it is."

O.o.o.o.O

I know it took me about a billion years to finally get this chapter up, but here it is. I don't think it will take me too long to complete the next one since I'm on summer vacation now. Constructive criticism would be love. Thanks all. Review please :


	3. Chapter 3

_Forgotten_

**Chapter Three**

She couldn't think of one reason to why she was going to this dinner.

Seth… Malon really didn't know what to make of this man. First of all, she didn't know if she could trust him. He had really alarmed her the other night; what with him coming closer to her chest then any man had ever dared to come before. What explanation would he have for that, she wondered. She also had some thoughts in the back of her mind that he could possibly be crazy. It wasn't exactly every day that some random man came in the inn you worked at, felt your necklace, stalked you, and told you that soon your home would be under attack. The more she thought about it, the more unsure she was of going.

However, she was curious.

That was the only real explanation she had thought of once she was finished getting ready and headed for the stairs to go meet him. She had always been this way, and tonight was no different than any other.

O.o.o.o.O

She spotted him right away once she descended down the stairs of the inn. He was waiting in the lobby, for her she knew, watching all of the other people go in and out the inn doors. She suspected he had been here quite long, based upon the tired, bored look on his face. His expression changed as soon as he saw her, however. He smiled warmly at her as she approached him.

"It's good to see you again, Malon." He said once they were close enough to talk. She nodded, not completely returning his smile but giving him a sort of half grin. He motioned for her to follow him as they exited through the inn doors.

They walked on in an awkward silence and she realized where he was taking her immediately since the restaurant was directly across the street from the inn. Of course she had been to this restaurant before. As a matter of fact she came here almost every day rather than staying at the inn to eat. She loved the food the cooks made there and everything, but after a while it just got too boring for her.

Once they both arrived in the restaurant they stood there waiting to be seated and she took the time to take in the familiar scent of the place and all of the surroundings. There were gorgeous, tiny, fresh picked flowers in a little vase on each table like always. The candles around the place were what made it seem vibrant despite their tiny, subtle glow and the other lights there were. The walls, painted a pale orange color always made the place look and feel like home. Although the decorations weren't much and the place wasn't the biggest, she always admired how lovely this place managed to look.

She felt a light nudge from Seth, and noticed that someone had obviously come to seat them. Both followed the person to a small table near the back and took their seats.

Seth hadn't spoken a word to her yet, but she noticed that he was staring at her necklace once again with an expression she couldn't seem to place. She shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat, seemingly about to say something. However, once she opened her mouth, no words seemed to come out. She just didn't know what to say to him.

He apparently got her hint that he should've started the conversation right then. He let his eyes guide themselves away from the necklace.

"My, my don't you look lovely today." He began, grinning at her.

She frowned. Was he actually trying to hit on her? Well she wouldn't let him. She had come to this dinner to find out what he wanted to tell her. And nothing else.

"So there was something you wanted to tell me about?" She said, purposely ignoring his compliment.

He sighed and nodded, running his hands through his hair. She suspected that he was disappointed, upset that she didn't accept his compliment. He probably thought that she was just like all of the other stupid little girls around here, falling at the feet of every boy that complimented them. Well she wasn't that way, and she wouldn't let him think that. Her thoughts were interrupted once she heard him spoke. "Yes, yes there was now wasn't there?"

Why did he seem so nonchalant about it? Did he really not have anything to tell her? Her frown deepened. "Well what is it? I thought we came here to discuss something. It's not everyday that somebody comes up to you and tells you that everyone's in danger and that someone new is dying everyday. You made it sound pretty important." She watched as his expression changed from being very blasé, back to the stony, serious one that had come over his face when he first mentioned this.

"Now look," He said, leaning forward so he could whisper to her, "I'm not sure how you're going to take this, but please promise me that you will keep it down. We wouldn't want everyone here to know what we're talking about now would we?

She nodded anxiously, wanting to know what he was going to say. However, she did have a feeling that she wasn't going to like whatever it was he was telling her.

He began in a slightly hushed voice, "I'll start this by saying that the necklace you're wearing, whether you know it or not, is of great significance, and I'm really not sure how it wound up in your hands. I apologize for the way I acted the day before. I wasn't entirely sure the other day that it really was this necklace and once I realized it was, I was just surprised to see it on you…"

Malon looked away from him and at the waitress as she came by, giving them their tea and then leaving. She turned back to face him.

"Well then? What is so special about the necklace anyway?" She asked him an in annoyed manner.

He shook his head, "Don't you see? There's a power behind that necklace. A special one. That necklace…it holds the power to make people forget things. Yes this power may seem trivial and unimportant to you at the moment, but think about it. Think of all the things it could do. Suppose someone possessed that necklace. With it they could make one person forget everything; their name, age, birthday. Everything. And if someone did forget all of this then they could be controlled. What would happen if the wearer wanted to take over a whole village of people? Just make the people forget everything and make them all slaves. The point is the necklace is dangerous if in the wrong hands."

He paused, watching Malon's expression change from a look of surprise, to amusement and then to just plain disbelief. She chuckled a bit and then said to him, "Look Seth, there's no way I'm going to believe that. This necklace… I've had it for three years and it's just like any other. And besides, if there was something wrong with it then surely I would have noticed it by now."

Seth sighed. She knew he was disappointed that she didn't believe his little story, but honestly, how could she? A necklace with the power to make people forget things? Where did he come up with _that_ one?

"I should have figured you wouldn't believe me. Well then, there's no use in trying to convince you otherwise, in which case, I think it would be best that I leave." He got up, and she watched him, with her mouth agape, walk away from the table. She certainly wasn't expecting that.

"Wait!" She said, getting up after him and causing a few heads to turn. He stopped in his tracks. "I… I want to know the rest please…" She finished a bit softer. He turned back strolled around immediately and took his seat, as if he had been expecting her to do this. She sat back down with him.

"Seth, I'm sorry about what I said before, but it's just that…" She trailed and he motioned to her that he understood.

"Don't worry; I can see why you wouldn't believe me at first. I'll tell you the rest but I must assure you that what I have to say is not a lie." She nodded and seeing that she was listening he continued. "Now, you're probably confused about the whole necklace thing and wondering what it has to do with anything and I'll tell you. There was not only one of these necklaces made, but two, for whatever reason. You possess this one fortunately… however, the other one is not possessed by someone else as good as you are. It is possessed by a man who is both powerful and dangerous. His name is Balam. I'm going to be blunt now and say that Balam is insane. He is using this necklace for all the wrong things and has been taking over villages and towns of people and doing exactly what I mentioned. Making them forget everything, brainwashing them into thinking that he is their leader and that they must obey everything he says. Anyone who finds out about what he's doing, before their forced to forget everything, and tries to oppose him is killed. He has been doing this for quite a while now and practically has a whole army of people working for him.

"Insane, yes, but stupid, no. Balam knows that there is another necklace somewhere out here and he wants it. Why does he want it? So that he can be the only one with it and no one can challenge his rule. He knows that if someone else had the necklace and discovered its power, then they too could do the same thing he's doing and therefore, possibly even control him. If he had both necklaces though, then he wouldn't have to worry at all."

Malon stared at the cup of tea she had in her hand for a moment, and then finally looked up at Seth. "So in other words… he's looking for me so that he can have the necklace, correct?" Seth nodded and saw a worried expression creep upon her face. "But how would he even know where to find me?"

Seth took a sip of his tea before answering, "The necklaces can in some way attract each other. I'm not quite sure how, but once the necklaces are near each other both of them glow brighter and supposedly the wearer will feel some kind of energy emitting itself from the necklace. But if they aren't very close then nothing will happen and it will stay normal, like it is now I suppose."

"But I've never felt an energy or seen it get any brighter than this." Malon objected.

"Then you're lucky. You know he's not near. He's looking though. And he has been and he will until he finds it. He's already gone through several lands looking. He's almost completely taken over Termina, and I have a feeling that Hyrule may be next on the list."

Malon's eyebrows rose immediately. "Taken over Termina? That's impossible. Hyrule would have definitely received notice of this by now and the people would know. It's just impossible."

Seth nodded, agreeing with her, "Yes I was quite surprised when I figured this out as well, but it is true. I'll let you know that the king did send in some soldiers to find out why there hadn't been any communication from Termina for such a long time, but the ones that were sent were sent in months ago. There's been no word from them, or ones sent in earlier, for months. The king does know something is up, but he is foolish and refuses to notify the people of this, or even begin to prepare an army, in case it gets serious. The people suspect something, but no one dares to ask."

Malon furrowed her eyebrows. The other day she did hear two older ladies talking about Termina, and how none of their relatives or friends from the land had been answering their letters for months. This certainly did explain things. She waited for the waitress to leave after she gave them their food before addressing Seth once more.

"Well then, if the king refuses to tell them anything then how about we do. There's no way that we can let him take over Hyrule too. Come on Seth I'm sure we could do something!" She finished with enthusiasm in her voice which was quickly pushed aside once she saw Seth roll his eyes and sigh.

"And who do you think would believe us? You barely believed me in the beginning, and I can tell you're still probably unsure of what to think." She bit her lip. He was right after all. She knew that she may be able to convince some people, like her father, to believe her, but who else really would? After all, all she was to the town was the boring inn girl. She knew that if she told a soul they'd automatically assume she was crazy.

"But," She began this time a bit apprehensively, "There's got to be something we can do. I mean we can't just sit here and not do anything, can we?"

He shrugged, his nonchalant personality coming back once again, and she saw his eyes leave hers and place themselves upon her necklace once again in a sort of trance. She frowned; disappointed that he could tell her all of this without even developing a sort of plan to stop it. Her fingers wrapped themselves around the necklace and she couldn't even begin to imagine how something this beautiful could even produce such a great and yet evil power. There were so many questions that popped into her head. How did it work? Who made it? What did they make it for? Everything just confused her so much. She sighed, and decided to ask him something that had been bothering her for a while now.

"Seth?" She said his name and he looked up at her, urging her to ask whatever question it was that she had planned to ask. "Just out of curiosity, how do you know all of this? I mean I know you're a traveler and you've probably heard things here and there, but how do you know so much about the necklace and its power? And about Balam and what he's planning to do?"

Seth smirked. He had read her correctly, as usual, and knew that she would have asked this question in time.

"How wouldn't I have known? After all, Balam is my brother."

O.o.o.o.O

Ha, I bet you all weren't expecting that ending. You guys have no idea how difficult it was for me to create this chapter. I had about five other ideas on how to start this and it drove me crazy trying to find the best one. However, I think this one went smoother than I anticipated. I know this probably got a lot more confusing now and I can almost assure you that if you have a question it will be answered soon enough. Oh, and Link will pop into this story soon enough… Review :


	4. Chapter 4

_Forgotten_

**Chapter Four**

The time seemed to pass slowly as she sat there, still in shock from what he had told her. Her mouth hung agape and her eyes had grown wide, but at some point she realized that some words had to be spoken.

She shut her mouthed and blinked, shaking her head, a habit of hers when she was told something surprising like that. He hadn't said anything, although he still had that smirk on his face, yet his expression changed to that of an amused one. Malon briefly opened her mouth, but no words seemed to escape from it. Finally thinking over what she wanted to say, she tried again.

"But that… that changes everything…" she managed to say, still not gaining back her composure.

He seemed a bit perplexed, "Changes things? How so?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "How does it change things? Well I don't know," she droned on sarcastically, "I guess I'm just curious as to why you would be telling me all of this with Balam as your brother."

He nodded his head as if he understood her and let out a quiet laugh, "So you're thinking that I should be on Balam's side since he's my brother?" She nodded, wondering why he would be so confused about this, "Well Malon, you're wrong. Yes, Balam may be my… brother, as much as I hate to call him that, but he and I… we're different. I don't at all agree with what he's doing, and I'm trying my best to stop him."

Malon raised an eyebrow, studying him, although she didn't know how much it would help since he seemed near impossible to read, "You're lying. Give me one reason as to why I should trust you."

He chuckled again, and she wondered if he really found everything she said so humorous. "If I really was working with Balam, that scumbag, than don't you think that I would have already taken the necklace from you? Why would I waste my time telling you about this? It would be foolish to do so and risk you telling others."

Malon thought this over, as he had risen a good point. Still, she wasn't quite sure she could trust him. Trusting complete strangers was not something she was used to doing. All of this was still pretty inconceivable. She gazed out the window for a moment, seemingly looking for an answer, when she felt a rough hand placed upon her soft one. She looked up and met the eyes of Seth. He smiled kindly at her, "Malon, I'm on your side." He sounded so sincere. And yet…

She sighed and shook off her doubt, smiling back at him, "Okay."

He removed his hand from hers after wards, and was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking something over. She too chose to remain silent and waited for him to speak. His rough features were tense and she could see that his small mouth was now in a tight, straight line. His brown eyes stared right through her. She had imagined that he was probably thinking over things that they could do to stop this whole predicament, but after a moment or two he turned his gaze away and began to eat. A couple of minutes of this passed, and she grew impatient.

"Well? Now what?" she questioned him, irritation clearly in her voice.

He glanced up at her, "Now we eat." He then proceeded in eating his food. She sighed, placing her head in the palm of her hand. Well since he didn't seem to be thinking anything over, she decided that maybe she should. First off, she knew she couldn't think of anything to do herself, and so she felt she had to tell someone else since Seth wasn't much help. Could she tell her father? Perhaps, but to get him to believe her would be… complicated. He was more of a logical person, and this, she knew, was far beyond anything he would find logic in. She glanced around at the various people in the restaurant, wondering how they would react to what she had been told. It was no use though, she already new that they wouldn't believe it. 'So then what is it that makes me have a feeling that it may really be true?' she thought. No answer would come to her, however. She rubbed her temples; she just couldn't decide what to think or do.

"You're not very hungry I presume?" Malon looked at Seth like he was a dimwit. Did he really expect that she would be, especially after what he had told her? He chuckled, "I guess I should have expected that." He took a couple more minutes to finish up his food, and then called for the waitress. "I guess if you're not hungry then we should leave." With that said he paid the waitress and offered Malon his hand which she accepted. He then helped her up and took her outside.

After stepping out, she realized that the sun was almost invisible behind her hill, and night was quickly approaching. The people had began to settle down, most deciding to call it a day, and only a few children were still out chatting with their friends or finishing up a game. She could hear the faint sound of birds in the distance, probably flying off to their home. The town had begun to settle down, and she thought that it was about time she did too. Besides, she felt she needed some time to think. She was getting ready to go back to the inn, but Seth quickly grabbed her hand, trying to lead her away. She quickly retracted her hand. After all, she was more than a little perturbed that he had presented all this information to her without a plan. She just wanted to go off by herself and think.

"What's wrong Malon, you don't want to come with me?" He said with a smile on his face and in response to her sudden gesture.

She shrugged nonchalantly, "I wasn't sure where you were taking me. Besides… my father probably needs me back at the inn." With that she turned back swiftly, her auburn hair flailing about behind her, and she began to hurry off again. She briefly turned around and saw he was following her. This made her scowl in annoyance and decided to just ignore him. She swiftly turned back around but let out a small squeal as she ran into a small boy. He looked as surprised as she when she bumped into his, which caused him to fall, rather hardly, on his backside. Blushing in embarrassment as she watched him topple backwards, she immediately stooped down to his level to make sure he was all right.

"Oh I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and I didn't see you there." She took him by the arm and helped him up. He was slender with red hair and large hazel-green eyes. The boy simply stared her in the eyes, not saying anything. "Well it's getting late… um, shouldn't you be heading home now?" He looked her up and down once more and smiled, turning back around and running off. "How peculiar…" she mouthed to herself, wondering why he hadn't said anything.

"You know he kind of reminds me of you." Malon jumped and hastily turned around. She sighed, figuring that Seth had probably caught up to her when she had knocked over the boy.

"How so, Seth?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oh well you know, always running off like that." He said this jokingly and she turned around again, starting to walk back off. Before she could get too far away from him, though, he grabbed her shoulder, making her stop.

"Malon wait." His voice was serious now, and she didn't try to walk off again.

"What is it Seth?" She said, softly. He looked around before answering, then responded in a quiet whisper,

"I have a plan. Come." He then took her arm and began leading her away, only letting go when he knew she would obediently follow. He led her behind the inn, and began to go along the path toward the hill she had been on earlier. She was familiar with the path so she already knew where to go, but he stopped her once they were about half-way there. It was deathly quiet in this certain part of the woods, and it alarmed her a bit, making her inch closer to Seth in case something did happen. She could sense several pairs of eyes on them and she imagined they belonged to the animals throughout the woods who were probably watching them, wondering what the pair was doing in their home. She noticed Seth staring down at her necklace with his brow furrowed, and she knew he was most likely contemplating his plan before presenting it to her. There were a couple more minutes of silence before he spoke.

"The necklace, give it to me." Her facial expression changed to a puzzled one. Why would he want her to give him the necklace?

"What do you mean give it to you?"

"Exactly what I said, give it to me." His answer didn't satisfy her, and she wasn't just going to let him tell her what to do.

"Why should I?" With this she placed a protective hand over her necklace to guard it, in case he tried anything unsuspecting. He made no move for it, but instead stood as still as ever with a stoic expression on his face. His reply was simple.

"It would be safer with me. I believe it's the best for you and your town."

This did make sense, and Malon had to agree with him. He was telling her the truth, she knew that much, but still she didn't know how she could part with it. The necklace meant so much to her, and if he father found out she had given it away he would surely be angry, no matter what the excuse. If she told him she had lost it, he would be saddened by the news, and not only that, but he would scold her for not being more responsible. On the other hand, if she did tell him she had given it away he would get angry and tell her that she had been foolish to trust Seth. She sighed, looking into Seth's eyes. For once, she could actually see emotion in them. Determination was in his stare, along with great concern. Finally, she felt she could trust him, but she had one more question brewing in her mind that she had to ask before she could give it to him.

"Even if I do give it to you, and it puts us out of danger, what will happen to you? It would be putting you in danger after all."

He quickly turned his gaze from hers and looked at the ground, as if pondering what to say. This went on for a moment and her suspicions immediately rose again.

"I… cannot disclose that with you, Malon. But I can assure you what I'll be doing with it is for the good of the people." His answer was hesitant, and she gave him a look, telling him that she would need a straight answer. He sighed in annoyance and began to explain himself, "Look, I intend to not only get this necklace, but also Balam's and … dispose of them. It's complicated really, but I have no wish to use the necklaces for my own personal enjoyment." She reluctantly nodded, deciding that this was a good enough answer for her. He smiled. "Now would you like to give it over to me Malon?"

She was slow to answer, but after a moment or two spoke, "Okay…" her answer came out as nearly a whisper. Reaching up behind her back she slowly touched the clasp of the golden chain and undid it, removing it from her neck. She looked at it once more before holding it out in front of her for Seth to take. Despite the lack of light it seemed to glimmer making it look more important than it ever had to her. Seth extended his hand to her and she let it fall into his hand, realizing that he was becoming impatient. He accepted it gratefully, and held it out in front of his face, letting it dangle in front of his eyes for a moment, just as she had.

"Amazing…" he mouthed more to himself than to Malon. With that he tucked the necklace away into his pocket and looked Malon in the eyes, nodding at her, "You did the right thing, Malon." She returned his nod and forced a smile.

"I hope so."

A quiet passed over them, and Malon looked up at the night sky, now highlighted with a vibrant light from the moon. Her gaze shifted back to the trees farther in the distance, and she realized that the farther back they got, the more it looked like they would engulf anyone who dared to venture into them. She shivered and turned to Seth. Her father would be curious to where she was now. "I should probably go now," she said quickly, looking away from him and only glancing back at him once before she turned to leave. Despite her efforts to leave, he grabbed her wrist again and pulled her back to him. Slowly he brought his lips to her cheek, gently planting a quick kiss on it. "Be careful now." He said, releasing her wrist, and before she could respond, he was already on his way into the woods, vanishing from her sight.

She watched him disappear into the darkness, and touched her cheek lightly, surprised by his actions. Finally, seeing there was nothing left to be done here, she turned around, heading back in the direction of the inn.

O.o.o.o.O

Well that about wraps up chapter four. To reassure you guys, yes this is a Malon/Link story. I know Link has yet to pop into the story and he will be here soon, don't worry. Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get up. As usual I lost inspiration and didn't feel like updating for a while. But I've finally been in the mood to write again and with my new laptop I'll probably be able to write and update more. Of course, I always say that so we'll just have to see how it works out this time. :)


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